Managing water resources
Fens Reservoir
Working with Anglian Water, we are proposing a new reservoir in the Fens to help meet the growing demands on water supply in the East of England.
The new reservoir is at the heart of a whole new water supply project. Together with the associated water infrastructure we need to transfer water to the reservoir, treat the water, and supply it to homes and businesses, it will secure a reliable water supply for generations to come.
Have your say
We want to hear your views on our latest proposals Our phase two consultation is open from 30 May until 9 August 2024.
For the consultation we are asking for your feedback on:
- Our emerging design for the reservoir (main site). This shows opportunities for recreational, wildlife, nature and other features.
- Our early-stage proposals for wider areas of land in the vicinity of the reservoir we could need for environmental mitigation and enhancement, construction, or wider uses.
- Areas we identified for the water sources infrastructure needed to transfer water from sources to the reservoir, and the water supply infrastructure needed to treat the water stored at the reservoir, and supply it to homes and businesses.
- Supporting information about our approach to a range of topics that we know are important to people
You can play an important role in helping to shape our proposals for the new reservoir, so they best serve the needs of everyone. To find out more and take part in the consultation, please visit the project website: https://www.fensreservoir.co.uk/
Our Vision
The distinctive ‘ammonite’ shape of the emerging design could create interest and become an attractive landmark. It’s a deliberately man-made approach, featuring in a landscape that has been shaped and altered by the people living and working here for generations.
The approach is inspired by the area’s ancient history with ammonite fossils – small marine creatures – found in the earth below the site, dating from a time when it was under the North Sea. Emerging opportunities include places for recreation both on the water and land, with other areas focused on nature to create calm, quiet spaces. The emerging design features a lagoon in the north west of the reservoir where water levels would largely remain consistent. This could create an area where access to water is easier.
The use of excavated earth to create new landforms could provide a variety of different experiences for visitors. These could be open areas with long views across the Fenland landscape, places for play and exploring, shaded, sheltered areas, and places where people, nature and waterall come together.
We’ve included a variety of habitat ideas to encourage wildlife at this stage, with different wetland types both inside the reservoir and surrounding it. The details and extent of these would only be confirmed when we have carried out our environmental assessments.
Fens Reservoir website
Visit the Fens Reservoir website and find out how to give your feedback
Why we need a new reservoir
Water is vital to health and wellbeing, to the economic prosperity of the East of England, and to maintaining a thriving natural environment that we can all enjoy.
Yet we face growing challenges to supply. Our region is low-lying, one of the driest in the UK, and especially vulnerable to a changing climate. Drought is set to become more common amid hotter, drier summers, and intense rainfall events more frequent.
To meet these challenges, we all have to play our part in balancing the needs of society, business, and the environment to enable a sustainable future.
We’re already working on new strategic pipelines to move water from wetter to drier parts of our region, installing smart meters in customers’ homes, and driving down leakage.
While all the investments we’re making today will help to keep taps running, the available supply will fall well below the demand for water unless we plan for future resources now.
About the new Fens Reservoir
Cambridge Water and Anglian Water are proposing a new reservoir in the Fens to help meet the growing demands on water supply in the East of England.
The new reservoir is at the heart of a whole new water supply project. Together with the associated water infrastructure we need to transfer water to the reservoir, treat the water, and supply it to homes and businesses it will secure a reliable water supply for generations to come.
When there is available water in rivers that would otherwise drain to the sea, we would draw that water and transfer it to the reservoir using new and existing infrastructure and waterways. The reservoir will store the water for when it’s needed.
Having this new water resource will reduce demands on sensitive sources such as chalk streams, helping us to protect and restore the environment. It will make us more resilient to a changing climate, reducing the impact of droughts while helping to manage river levels in wetter periods.
The proposed reservoir is located between Chatteris and March, near to Doddington, Wimblington and Manea. Before our phase one consultation, we completed a thorough site selection process for the reservoir and are continuing to work hard to develop our plans for the chosen site.
Quick facts:
- The reservoir could supply water by the mid to late 2030s
- With a volume of 55 million cubic meters, the water surface area of the Fens reservoir would be 5km
- The reservoir could supply up to 87 million litres of water a day
- The reservoir would provide water to 250,000 homes a year
The planning process and how you can have your say
Delivering the reservoirConstruction of the new reservoirs, subject to planning consent, could begin around 2030 and at the earliest, they could start supplying water to homes by the mid to late 2030s. The volume of water the reservoirs can hold means they are Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) and are treated separately from local authority planning processes.
The government agency responsible for examining NSIPs is the Planning Inspectorate. We will work with them as we prepare our applications and submit it for acceptance. Once accepted by the Planning Inspectorate, a panel of inspectors will be appointed who will then examine the applications before making a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) as to whether the project should be granted development consent. It is the Secretary of State that makes the final decision.
You can find out more about this process on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
Specific plans for new infrastructure – such as the reservoir we’re proposing – are subject to a development process that is regulated by the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID). RAPID was formed to help accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and is made up of the three water regulators Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate.
Plans for new infrastructure need to pass through a series of ‘gateways’ before they can be built. At each gateway, companies submit information about their plans and this is assessed by RAPID to the plans meet the needs of customers. Ofwat also decides whether companies should continue to be allowed funding to continue to investigate and develop their plans to the next gateway.
On 14 November, we submitted our Gate 2 report to RAPID – the Regulatory Alliance for the Progression of Infrastructure Development. RAPID is responsible for reviewing these large new resource options, and ensuring they are on track for delivery, ensuring best value for money for customers and the environment, and will assess whether the project can continue to progress. These documents provide an overview of the project to date and will now be reviewed over the next few months by RAPID.
Timeline
There are four RAPID gateways in total.
Our phase two consultation is open from 30 May to 9 August. Feedback is a vital part of the process as we listen to your views and consider how they can help shape the project going forward.
More information
Fens Reservoir website
Visit the Fens Reservoir website for details of the location, maps, plans and how to give feedback.
Find out more about Anglian Water.